Bangladesh ended their series on a high note by securing a consolation victory over Zimbabwe in the third ODI held in Harare on Saturday. The visiting side dominated the match, chasing down the target with 7 wickets to spare, largely thanks to a commanding 94-run performance from opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim.
The foundation for the win was laid early in the day by pacer Shoriful Islam, who claimed 4-44. Bangladesh opted to bowl first and immediately pressured the hosts on a pitch characterized by variable bounce. Zimbabwe struggled to gain momentum, crawling to 12 runs by the sixth over when Shoriful dismissed Ben Curran. Taskin Ahmed followed up by removing Brian Bennett in the next over, and by the 13th over, the score had reached just 27 as Shoriful returned to dismiss Craig Ervine.
Despite the early collapse, Zimbabwe found some stability through a 51-run partnership between Wessly Madhevere and Innocent Kaia. While Kaia was dismissed in the 27th over, Madhevere anchored the innings with a resilient 75 off 74 balls. Brad Evans later contributed significantly with a 50, helping to propel the hosts to a final total of 199 before they were bowled out in the 49th over.
Facing a modest target and aiming to avoid a clean sweep, Zimbabwe hoped to repeat their recent success of defending low totals at the venue. However, those hopes were quickly dashed by an aggressive start from Bangladesh. Tanzid Hasan set the tone in the second over by striking Ernest Masuku, who finished with 2-33, for a six and a four. By the end of the Powerplay, Bangladesh had raced to 59 for no loss. Alongside a strong 69 from Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid guided the team to victory in 35.4 overs, finishing at 200/3.
